- 8 hours ago
My Fiancé Humiliated Me, I Wed the War General
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00:00Ahead of my lavish nubitals to Lucien, heir apporned of the marcastit, I tried on the
00:05crimson gold thread consecrated bridal cloak.
00:07The garment stirred up fond wedding memories for his sister-in-law, who wept her eyes ret
00:12soon after.
00:13Lucien then had my consecrated bridal cloak and sun hazo crown it, changed to rose-colored
00:19overnight.
00:20The next day, he turned up at my estate with sanctonious pretensions to persuade me.
00:24Celestine, no matter what you wear for the wedding, you will still be the future Margare.
00:28Why must you upset my sister-in-law?
00:30Ever since she was titled a consecrated widow, crimson has never again appeared in the Marginga's
00:34castle.
00:35Although a bride blessed by the church must wear crimson, rose pink still counts as red,
00:39does it not?
00:39I will still acknowledge you as my legitimate, orthodox spouse.
00:42You are the true blood daughter of the Duke of Valamont.
00:44You ought to possess noble magnanimity.
00:46Rose pink is also a shade of red?
00:47By that flawed reasoning, anyone across the Marcus ship could lay claim to House Thornfield's
00:52lawful heirship.
00:53Being the house's heir appriot, Lucien, is bound to uphold the noble virtue of mercy.
00:58Lucien opened the chest.
00:59The consecrated bridal cloak kept the original design.
01:02Its color was changed to rose pink fabric.
01:04This color is only for lesser consorts.
01:06The scene stunned everyone present.
01:08Ladies who came for the dower covered their mouth could be seen clearly.
01:11Celestine, I had this bridal wear stitched in an all-night rush just for you.
01:15Would you try it on?
01:16Lucien looked at me with a face full of tenness.
01:18I pointed at that ridiculous chest of rose and asked,
01:22This is my bridal gown?
01:23A rose-colored secondary bridal gown?
01:26The customs of your house, Thornfield, are utterly absurd.
01:29You had my crimson gold thread consecrated bridal cloak taken away yesterday just to replace
01:34it with this.
01:35Why?
01:36Lucien looked somewhat troubled, but slowly spoke.
01:39Celestine, when you were trying on the bridal gown that day, my sister-in-law saw it.
01:44She went back and cried all night.
01:46It reminded her of the day she was married, and she was deeply heartbroken.
01:49My elder brother has passed away, and she is a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
01:54Now the sight has stirred her grief.
01:56You know she has not had it easy, so why must you wear a crimson gown and cause her such
02:00sorrow?
02:01No matter what you wear to marry into the Margarians' castle, I will acknowledge it.
02:05You will still be my future Margocene.
02:07Why must you be so stubborn?
02:09My sister-in-law has suffered much.
02:11Just bear with it and yield to her.
02:14Alright?
02:17I almost laughed out of sheer anger.
02:19Elwyn had known the two Thornwood brothers since childhood, back when she married into
02:24the Margar's castle.
02:25Less than a year after the wedding, Lucien's elder brother died in battle, at the edge of
02:29the magical beast front.
02:30At that time, Elevin threatened to jump off the tower and smash her head against the coffin,
02:35set the whole town chattering with scandal.
02:37The Arpa ship and the Queen were moved by this, and personally titled her, a consecrated widow.
02:44Two years had passed, and she had not missed a single social ball in the royal capital, surrounded
02:49by admirers like the moon surrounded by stars every single time.
02:52One could hear everyone praising her, lauding her chastity and her deep devotion.
02:57How is it that she can revel in banquets and balls outside without a care in the world,
03:01yet when it comes to my wedding, she suddenly plays the part of one overwhelmed by painful
03:06memories?
03:08She cannot bear to see crimson?
03:10Could it be just be because her husband died, all'd in entire the noble kingdom, must play
03:15the widow alongside her?
03:16One of the noble ladies could cannot stand it anymore, and spoke up for justice.
03:21Lord Eyre, a noble woman's vows at the High Chapel are everything.
03:24The crimson cloak, the sun halo coronat, that's what makes it real.
03:28A true wife isn't some secondary contort who'd marry a real bride in rows.
03:32The Lord Eyre is marrying a lady of the house, not some shameful mistress.
03:36How dare you humiliate Celeste with a rose-colored gown?
03:39Exactly.
03:40Does Alonwit know what an orthic consecrated bridal cloak symbolizes?
03:44Having it changed to rose-colored, she must have done it on purpose.
03:46Is your lordship taking a wife or taking a secondary consort?
03:50Celeste is already suffering such grievances before even entering the castle.
03:53What will happen once she marries in?
03:55Elendon cannot bear to see red.
03:56Why do I find that so hard to believe?
03:58At the last royal banquet, it wasn't she and she is the only one allowed to wear it,
04:01while others are forbidden.
04:03The group of noble ladies voiced their indignation on my behalf.
04:07Besides, it was unheard of for a rightful Marchiess to be wed in rose-pink bridal wear.
04:12I slammed the trunk shut with a resounding crash and looked at Lucien.
04:15Your lordship, please take this bridal gown back.
04:18Forgive Selamine, but I cannot wear it.
04:20Lucien anxiously defended himself.
04:22I did not mean to humiliate you, Celestian.
04:24My sister-in-law is truly heartbroken.
04:26Why must you pierce her heart like this?
04:29Rose-pink is also a shade of red, using a rose-colored gown for a grand wedding.
04:34I truly had not heard such a brazen distortion of right and wrong in a long time.
04:38Just as I was about to lash out, a maid led a woman inside.
04:42My lady, the lady of the thorn-wheeled Magis castle, is here to visit.
04:46It was Elwyn.
04:47She was clad in somber funeral weeds typical of a widow's garb, standing at the doorway.
04:53At this moment, she looked at Lucien with red eyes,
04:55hurried forward to his side and said with urgency and heartache,
04:58How could you do this?
04:58If this royal betrothed is ruined because of me,
05:01how am I to explain this to the marjerk and his lady?
05:03Then, Elwyn looked at me cautiously.
05:05Sister, do not blame Lucien.
05:07He simply aches for me as his sister-in-law.
05:09He did not do it on purpose.
05:11For my sake, please forgive him this once.
05:14Lucien said anxiously,
05:15Your eyes are swollen from crying.
05:16Why did you come here?
05:17Their back-and-forth exchange of mutual concern
05:20caused the noble ladies nearby to start whispering among themselves.
05:24I laughed mockingly.
05:26I am truly unaware of what the rules of House Thornfield are like.
05:29A woman calling her late husband's brother by his given name and so intimately.
05:33If word of this gets out, what might other people think?
05:36After all, a younger brother aching for his widowed sister-in-law so much
05:40that he makes his unwed fiancé wear a rose-colored secondary bridal gown.
05:44I have never heard of such a thing.
05:47As soon as my words fell, the murmurs among the crowd grew louder.
05:51As a widow consecrated by the church,
05:54didn't Elliman always claim the past that she wouldn't speak a single word to other men?
05:57She calls out to Lucien more intimately than even his own fiancé does.
06:02Who would believe they are entirely innocent?
06:04No wonder Lucien would wrong Celestine for Elven's sake.
06:08Celestine is truly unlucky to be marrying into such a family.
06:12What will become of her in the future?
06:14Hearing the gossip, Elliman feels very awkward.
06:18It's not like that.
06:20Enough!
06:21The surroundings fell silent.
06:24Lucien glared at me with ferocious eyes.
06:26Celestine, is this your scheme?
06:28Let these people humiliate Elliman here just to show your displeasure?
06:32To think she was worried about you feeling wronged and came expressly to reason with me.
06:36And you?
06:37You had people humiliate her here.
06:39Your petty, small-minded streak.
06:42Makes me wonder how you'd treat her once installed at the castle.
06:46I laughed out of sheer fury.
06:48It wasn't enough for you to come to my door alone.
06:51You had to bring Eligen to play the victim.
06:54Could it be that whoever's husband dies becomes invincible and can do whatever they please?
07:00Lucien retorted in exasperation.
07:02Celestine, my sister-in-law is a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
07:06Can you not just take a step back and yield?
07:07You are marrying into Louthornhield and will face each other every day in the future.
07:11If you make things this ridge and unyielding, it will do you no good.
07:15Elliman entered the Marjory's castle before you, and she is the most revered person of our entire family.
07:20Even when you become the lady of the house in the future, it will still be so.
07:23My mind is made up.
07:25Three days from now, at the vows in the High Chapel, you can only enter wearing this gown.
07:29A wife ought to obey her husband.
07:32That is the very doctrine set down in the canon of the Holy Maidens.
07:35And as the true-blood daughter of a duken house, it is high time you studied it.
07:41Properly.
07:42Elliman, standing to the side, said carefully and tendedly.
07:47Sister-in-law, Lucien is only showing consideration for me as his sister-in-law.
07:51After all, as long as one weds the one they love, does the color of the bridal cloak truly matter?
07:56Sister-in-law?
07:57After speaking, she trailed behind Lucien with practiced fragility as Lucien left the gates of the ducal estate.
08:04Several noble ladies swarmed around me.
08:07Celeste, you absolutely cannot marry in a rose-colored gown.
08:10It signifies a secondary union.
08:12You cannot willingly lower your status and go from an orthodox lady to a mistress.
08:18Exactly.
08:19I think Lucien and Elliman came here intentionally to humiliate you.
08:22Elliman did it on purpose, wanting you to be reduced to a secondary consort the moment you enter the castle.
08:28Who knows what she is plotting?
08:31His Majesty the King had bestowed the royal betrothal upon Lucien and me.
08:35After my father passed away, though the Valamont-Ducery estate still possessed deep foundations, both my parents were gone.
08:42Lucien was relying on the fact that my parents were gone, and no one was there to back me up.
08:47That was why he dared to marry me into his house in such a manner.
08:50I looked at that unbearably offensive chest of rose-colored gowns and smiled mockingly.
08:55Rose pink is also red?
08:56Wants me to have noble magnuity?
08:58I certainly possess the magnuity to tolerate others.
09:00It's just that while I have it, I wonder if Lucien does.
09:06Subsequently, I ordered the elite shadow wardens left to me by my father to carry out a certain task.
09:14Then, I rode a carriage overnight to seek an audience in the royal palace with Queen Seraphine.
09:19The queen was my maternal aunt.
09:21Since my parents were unable to make it back to the royal capital, it was only right for my aunt
09:27to preside over my marriage.
09:28Three days later, the Valamont-Ducery estate was marrying off its daughter, and the house of the Thornfield-Marshaw was
09:35receiving the bride.
09:36It was the most aduspicious of days, and all the nobles in the city were watching the spectacle.
09:41However, early that morning at the Margarek's castle...
09:44Your lordship, this is bad! Our lady seems to have caught a severe chill.
09:48Her body is burning hot right now. Please go and see her!
09:51Lucien did not even have time to button his groom's main ceremonial assuring before he rushed anxiously to Elowyn's courtyard.
09:57Elowyn was burning up. Her face flushed crimson as she deliriously called out...
10:02Lucius...
10:03Lucien's face changed with panic.
10:05Quick, fetch the royal healers!
10:08Your lordship, the auscritious hour is almost upon us.
10:11You should head to the high chamber to receive the bride.
10:13Lucien rebuked him angrily.
10:15The first lady is this severely ill. Is her life more important or is the wedding?
10:18Do I need to teach you?
10:19Anyway, this marriage is a royal betrothal.
10:21Selethion has to marry in no matter what.
10:23Go to my Lunger brother's union.
10:25He just led the night order back to capital.
10:27Have him receive the bride in my stead.
10:28Everyone was dumbfounded.
10:30Normally, unless it was a matter of life and death,
10:33what groom would not personally go to the high chapel to receive his bride?
10:37But seeing Lucien merely clipping Elowyn's hand, entirely deaf to another word,
10:43the manservant had no choice but to go to the courtyard of the second son, Garrick.
10:47There, the second son of the family, Warden General of the North Garrick emerged,
10:52already dressed in the groom's crimson noble main ceremonial attire,
10:55followed by a retrain of escorting knights.
11:00The manservant thought to himself,
11:02Lord Garrick is truly a good brother.
11:04The heir is too busy to attend,
11:06so he immediately stepped out to receive the bride in his stead.
11:09Meanwhile, under Lucien's care,
11:11he drank a magic potion and woke up.
11:13Hearing the ceremonial outside and looking at his unbuttoned main ceremonial ossure,
11:17illays well enough in her eyes.
11:18Lucien, today is your joyous day.
11:20Hurry and go.
11:21My illness is no mater-ness, and you must marry her eventually anyway.
11:24After speaking, tears fell down her face, poking pity in anyone who saw her.
11:29The bride's carriage has arrived!
11:31Elowyn gripped Lucien's velvet cuff tightly,
11:33reluctant to let go, yet still said,
11:36You should go.
11:37How could Lucia bear to leave her?
11:39He jointly hugged her, hugged Ritley housed.
11:42Elowyn, if only I could marry you openly and honorably, I could take care of you forever.
11:48Elowyn let out a low sob.
11:51After tonight, you will be someone else's husband,
11:53and we will have no further ties.
11:57Lucien?
11:58Lucien gritted his teeth.
12:00Wait for me.
12:01She enters the castle in a rose-colored gown,
12:03and will certainly be the subject of bossip's hip in noble circles.
12:07When the time comes, I will claim it is only a secondary union.
12:10She will absolutely not outrank you in the family.
12:15I will go out only after the ostrich hour has passed.
12:19Once she enters the Margank's castle,
12:21I will have to teach her the rules.
12:23The bells outside rang continuously.
12:26Lucien timed it perfectly.
12:27Once the auspicious hour had passed.
12:30Thank you all for waiting.
12:32At that moment,
12:33the Archbishop of the High Chapel proclaimed loudly,
12:35The sacred nuptial rules are concluded.
12:37The newlyweds may now proceed to the Great Hall.
12:42Congratulations, Lord of the Lord and General.
12:48General Garrick just led his army back to the capital yesterday,
12:51and today he forges a brilliant match.
12:53Truly, good things come in pairs.
12:55The general brings home a beauty today.
12:58What tremendous fortune.
12:59What a wonderful blessing indeed.
13:02Lucien's face had changed color.
13:03He only asked Garrick to help receive the bride.
13:06When did he ever ask him to help take the vows?
13:10Hold on!
13:12He shouted loudly,
13:14his face turning ashing.
13:16Everyone looked over to see him striding into the High Chapel,
13:19suddenly blocking the path before Garrick and me,
13:22seeing me in an orthodox crimson gold thread,
13:24consecrated bridal cloak.
13:26Celestine!
13:27How dare you!
13:29Make sacred vows with another man!
13:32Where is the bridal gown I sent yesterday?
13:34How did it turn into orthodox crimson?
13:37I told you,
13:38to marry into Laos Thornfield,
13:39you can only wear the rose-colored secondary bridal gown I sent.
13:42If you do not follow my orders,
13:44how could you ever be fit to enter our family?
13:46Garrick slapped his hand away.
13:48Brother,
13:49today is the day your younger brother takes a wife.
13:51For you, the elder brother,
13:52to dictate what your sister-in-law wears to her wedding?
13:54Lucien stared at him.
13:56It is obviously my wedding today.
13:58What does it have to do with you?
14:00I was the one who went to receive her.
14:02The vows before the Holy Divine were proclaimed by her and me.
14:07Why would it not be my business?
14:09Even the Queen's Privy Warrant has my name written on it.
14:13How is it not my business?
14:15I took Garrick's arm and looked at Lucien with sheer bewilderment.
14:19My dear,
14:20why is your elder brother trying to stop our wedding?
14:23Lord Lucien,
14:24Could it be that caring for your widowed sister-in-law is not enough?
14:27And you must also care for your younger brother's wife?
14:30You claim you are marrying me.
14:32But why is it that the one receiving the bride at the High Chaple today is
14:36the Warden General of the North?
14:40Lucien was momentarily speechless,
14:43then hurriedly explained.
14:44My sister-in-law fell ill today.
14:46I was taking care of her while the royal healers examined her and I truly couldn't step away.
14:51As soon as she took her potion, she told me to come receive you.
14:53I burst out laughing.
14:55Oh, are all the servants in the Marjix castle made of stone?
14:59The First Lady falls ill sill and needs a royal healer who couldn't attend to that.
15:03Why must it be the Lord Hare, who claims to be getting married today,
15:07running about doing the chores,
15:09so busy he doesn't even have time to receive his bride?
15:12Aside from you and Elwyn,
15:14look at the Lord's present and see if any of them believe that.
15:17Humiliated and enraged, Lucien shouted,
15:19Celestina,
15:19Just because I asked you to wear a rose-colored gown,
15:21you deliberately set a trap for me like this.
15:23You venomous woman!
15:25You haggle over every detail and possess not a single drop of noble magnivity.
15:28How can you be fit to be the future lady of the Marjixor's estate?
15:34The way everyone looked at him changed.
15:36Exactly.
15:37A widowed sister-in-law falls ill and a grown man stays by her side like that.
15:42What kind of propriancy is that?
15:43I heard that for the sake of this widowed sister-in-law,
15:46he repeatedly demanded the bride bow her head to him.
15:49Could it be that he and that consecrated widow share some unspeakable secret
15:54that violates the church's dogma?
15:56I pulled out a pagement scroll sealed with the royal wax crest.
15:59Whether I am fit to be the lady of the house is not for you to decide.
16:02I can certainly tolerate that sister-in-law of yours,
16:04and I can also tolerate the gown you sent.
16:07Speaking of this noble grace and magnonsimity,
16:09I only wonder if your lordship possesses it.
16:11A queen's privy warrant, Lucien, heir to Thornweald,
16:14has disrespected royal dogna by humiliating a betrothal with a secondary union.
16:18For this blasphemy against the king's grace,
16:21he is stripped of his inheritance rights to the marquistit.
16:24The family's inheritance rights shall be succeeded by the second run,
16:27Warden General of the North, Garrick.
16:29The betrothal is transferred to Garrick.
16:31He shall wed Celestine of House Valamont on the original date.
16:34So it is decreed.
16:37As my words fell, Lucien's face and he stumbled backward again and again.
16:41I smiled radiantly.
16:43This noble magnanimity of brotherly harmony.
16:46I do wonder, Lord Lucien, whether you possess even a trace of it.
16:50Lucien stared at the warrant sealed with wax, fell to the ground, and screamed.
16:55How is this possible?
16:57Just because of one trivial matter, the queen strips me of my heir title?
17:01I don't believe it!
17:03I demand to enter the palace!
17:04I will appeal to the royal tribunal!
17:07At that moment, an official dressed in a court warm stepped forward in the chapel.
17:10It was the royal chamberlain of the queen's inner court, recognized by all the nobles present.
17:14Lord Lucien, Lady Sallelt, an audience in the palace overnight to request this warrant,
17:18and she presented that gown symboling a mistress directly for her queen.
17:21His majesty the king was also there at the time.
17:23His majesty flew into a rage the moment he laid eyes on it,
17:26and swore he would never stand for such conduct of a hypocrite bullying the duke's legitimate daughter.
17:30The verdict was not decided by anyone else.
17:33It was the king who gave his personal seal and full authorization for this warrant.
17:36How is it possible?
17:37This is an alliance between two great houses.
17:40How could it be treated so casually?
17:41I am the statutory heir of the marcher!
17:43The nobles finally realized that he had used a rose-colored secondary bridal gown to humiliate me,
17:49and they all looked at him with disdain.
17:51Now that the sacred sacrament is successfully completed,
17:54I must return to the palace to report back to his majesty and her majesty.
17:58Still on the floor, Lucien mumbled.
18:00How is it possible?
18:01A royal betrothal!
18:03How can it be changed just like that?
18:05It's just the color of a bridal gown!
18:07Right at that moment, a maid showed from the West Wool suits,
18:10came howling into the high chapel and threw herself to her knees.
18:13Your lordship, please hurry and see the first lady!
18:16She is bleeding from the womb,
18:18and the royal healers say she might be having a miscarriage!
18:23All the guests in the chapel turned pale with shock.
18:27Elan Miss Mechering, she was a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
18:31Widowed for two years, dressing plainly and rarely going out,
18:35strictly adhering to dogma,
18:37and never involved with any men outside the family.
18:41How could she be pregnant, and even Miss Mechering?
18:44The news was world-shattering.
18:46The nobles, casting aside their etiquette,
18:48rose and surged toward the West Wing suites,
18:51all wanting to witness this inconceivable, heretical scandal with their own eyes.
18:56I held Garak's arm, walking slowly behind the crowd.
19:00It's chaotic with so many people, be careful.
19:03I nodded lightly, a trace of understanding flashing in my eyes.
19:07The intelligence brought back by the Shadow Warders had proven true.
19:11Inside the West Wing suite,
19:15The heavy stench of blood mixed with the smell of magic potions assaulted our senses.
19:20The woman lying on the bed was indeed the normally dignified, composed, gentle, and graceful Elowan.
19:27Only now, her face flushed with an unnatural redness,
19:30her forehead covered in cold sweat.
19:33Her usually clear and gentle eyes were filled with agony.
19:36Hiding a panic, she could not quite conceal.
19:40Lucien rushed in as well.
19:41He threw himself at the bedside,
19:43tightly clapping the woman's hand,
19:45his tone urgent and tinged with a subtle panic.
19:48Elowan, how are you?
19:50You were fine.
19:51How could you suddenly miss Kate?
19:53Did someone plot against you?
19:55The woman opened her eyes weakly,
19:57looking at Lucien as tears streamed down her face.
20:00Her voice was faint and full of grievance.
20:04Lucien, it hurts so much.
20:06I don't know what happened suddenly.
20:07The abdominal pain was unbearable.
20:09I am innocent.
20:10I am a consecrated widow.
20:13How could I possibly be with child?
20:15The healers must have made a mistake.
20:20Her defense triggered a chorus of whispers among the lords and ladies filling the room,
20:24their faces etched with shock and suspicion.
20:26A consecrated widow pregnant, this is an absolute joke.
20:30Widowed for two years and blessed by the church.
20:32How could she possibly be with child?
20:34Could it be that the royal healers lack magical proficiency and misdiagnosed if this is true?
20:39First Lady Elwyn's reputation for chastity is completely ruined.
20:42Seeing her so chaste and composed in the past,
20:45strictly adhering to the maiden's canon in her every word and a leader,
20:48she does not seem like a fallen heretic.
20:50But the royal healers all confirm a miscarriage.
20:53They couldn't just fabricate it out of thin air, could they?
20:56There must be an enormous mystery behind this.
20:59Amid the murmurs, the chief royal healer stepped out from the inner chamber,
21:04carrying an enchanted medicine box.
21:06He placed a hand over his chest, bowing to the surrounding nobles,
21:09and stated with absolute certainty.
21:12My lords and ladies, I have practiced medicine for over 40 years.
21:15I would never miss diagnosis.
21:17The lady on the bed was indeed over two months pregnant.
21:19However, her overwhelming grief and anguish disrupted the fetus' vital pulse,
21:23resulting in a miscarriage.
21:26Two months pregnant?
21:28As the words of confirmation fell, the room erupted in uproar.
21:32The gazes directed at the woman on the bed
21:35shifted from initial sympathy to scrutiny,
21:37disdain, and even profound abhormony.
21:40A consecrated widow losing her trastity was a felony,
21:44punishable by burning at the stake,
21:46under church law.
21:47The woman on the bed.
21:49No, I didn't.
21:51I am being framed.
21:53I am truly innocent.
21:54Her defense was pale and powerless.
21:57Everyone merely assumed she was too ashamed to admit it,
22:01showing expressions of contempt.
22:03Just then, I stepped forward slowly,
22:04my gaze falling calmly on her face.
22:06My voice was not loud, but it perked clearly throughout the entire room.
22:09Elevin is a consecrated widow anointed by the church
22:11and maintained her chastice years.
22:13Naturally, she would not be pregnant.
22:15But you?
22:16Are you truly Elevin?
22:19That single sentence was like a thunder clasp from a clear sky.
22:23The noisy room instantly fell into deathly silence.
22:27Everyone's gazes simultaneously focused on me,
22:30then violently shifted to the woman on the bed,
22:32their faces full of shock and disbelief.
22:34The woman's body stiffened abruptly,
22:36as if pricked by a needle.
22:38All color instantly drained from her face,
22:40turning ashen as paper.
22:42The panic in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
22:45She looked up at me fiercely,
22:47her voice trembling,
22:48laced with a hollow bravado.
22:50What?
22:50What nonsense are you spewing?
22:52If I am not Elevin,
22:54who am I?
22:55I am the true-blood daughter of the Chancellor's House,
22:57the First Lady of the Margarg's Castle,
22:59the consecrated widow anointed by the church.
23:02Cease your wicked lies and stop slanding me!
23:05Slander?
23:05A faint, jocking smile touched the corners of my lips.
23:08The real Elevin has a scar at the tail of her left eyebrow,
23:11left from a fall while riding in her youth.
23:13Since childhood,
23:14she was tutored by a royal scribe,
23:15and her noble rude hand is elegant and profoundly graceful.
23:18Do you possess either of these two things?
23:21The new rings of Salkaintia sivir the door-side of her lairth.
23:25The yenda darted in the way,
23:26and her mape awakes to her who steens fake the throust.
23:28I...
23:29There was a fall in my youth,
23:30and the scar as long as it'd been healed and faded by magic.
23:33Enter my handwriting I have written up for a long time.
23:36Naturally, I've grown rusty.
23:38Faded?
23:39Grown rusty?
23:40I scoffed coldly,
23:41turning to look at Lucian,
23:42who stood nearby,
23:43his face ashen,
23:43his entire body tense.
23:45Lucian, you and Elwyn have known each other since childhood,
23:47growing up together in aristocratic circles.
23:49Her scar and her unique rune hand?
23:51Could you possibly be unaware of them?
23:53Lucian shuddered.
23:54His face instantly.
23:55His eyes darted away,
23:57unable to meet mine.
23:59Fine, cold sweat seeped from his forehead,
24:01and his lips trembled,
24:03but he couldn't utter a single word for the longest time.
24:06Seeing this,
24:07how could the crowd not realize there was treachery afoot?
24:10The gazes cast upon the woman on the bed,
24:12and Lucian,
24:14were instantly filled with suspicion and scrutiny.
24:16I stopped looking at the panic-strucken pair,
24:19and raised my hand to signal.
24:20Two cloaked shadow wardens stepped forward from behind me.
24:23One held a yellowed paper-nt scroll,
24:25a formal complaint,
24:27while the other held a purple sandalwood brodge box.
24:31I took the scroll of parchment,
24:33held it high,
24:34and spoke clearly and powerfully.
24:36As early as the day Lucian sent the bridal gown,
24:39I sensed something was in spress.
24:41Lucian and this Elowan
24:43interacted inappropriately,
24:44and this Elvin
24:45had manners,
24:46knowledge,
24:46and an aura
24:47completely different
24:48from before she became a consecrated widow.
24:50I'd spatched the shadow wardens
24:52to investigate in secret,
24:53and now,
24:54the truth is fully revealed.
24:55I paused,
24:57slowly recounting the shocking secret
24:58that had buried for two years.
24:59Her husband died fighting
25:00on the magical beast frontier.
25:02She refused to believe he had fallen,
25:04shutting herself inside the house
25:05to grieve endlessly.
25:06He spotted her deep sorrow
25:07and resolved to exploit her vulnerability.
25:09He told her he could track down evidence
25:10and reveal the full truth
25:11of her husband's death.
25:13Elwyn believed Lucian's lies.
25:14She boarded the carriage with him
25:16filled with sincere gratitude.
25:17The woman who accompanied them
25:19on that trip
25:19is this impostory here.
25:21The crowd listened,
25:23dumbfounded,
25:24turning to the woman on the bed
25:25in sheer disbelief.
25:30I continued.
25:31The day they left the territory,
25:33halfway at a post station,
25:34Mira offered Elwyn a bowl of potion.
25:36She knew full well
25:37that Elwyn was severely allergic
25:38to a certain powder since childhood,
25:39so she secretly added the allergen
25:41and drank it.
25:41Moments later,
25:42she burned up,
25:43her face swelling rapidly,
25:44until her features were indistinguishable,
25:46and she quickly lost consciousness.
25:47Right then,
25:48Lucian and Mira declared publicly
25:49that base-born daughter,
25:51Mila,
25:51had encountered bandits on the road,
25:53had her face disfigured,
25:54and was too ashamed
25:55to face her parents.
25:56So Mira volunteered
25:57to enter a border monastery
25:58for a life of purification.
26:00House Ashcrossed had never valued her,
26:02so they didn't probe further.
26:03Then,
26:03Lucian and Mira sent Elwyn,
26:05under the name Mira,
26:06to a hidden appy
26:07in the southern borders,
26:08dispatching guards to watch her,
26:10utterly erasing her existence
26:11from the outside world.
26:13From that day on,
26:15Mira became
26:16the Elwyn.
26:18So that is what happened.
26:20No wonder this First Lady's aura
26:22is completely different
26:23from the rumors.
26:24They aren't the same person at all.
26:25Lucian and this Mira
26:26are absolutely insane.
26:28Daring to commit
26:28such monumental fraud,
26:30usurping the identity
26:30of a true-blood daughter,
26:31and impersonating
26:32a consecrated widow,
26:33it's sheer lawlessness!
26:35The Chancellor's house
26:36is far too foolish.
26:37Their true-blood daughter
26:38was swapped,
26:39and they remained oblivious
26:40for two years,
26:41simply believing Mira
26:42went into reclusive
26:43due to disfigurement.
26:44How absurd!
26:45I looked at the pale,
26:46teetering Lucian,
26:47my tone icy.
26:49Over the past two years,
26:50Lucian relied on the reputation
26:51to win the unanimous greed will
26:53of the entire Margetith.
26:54He built up his nightly renown,
26:55cleared away obstacles
26:56step by step,
26:57and secured his position
26:58as heir.
26:59Meanwhile,
26:59he and Mira,
27:00using this facade,
27:01remained together in secret,
27:02with no one daring
27:02to suspect a thing.
27:04Originally,
27:05their plan was flawless.
27:06It was indeed I
27:07to marry into House Thornweald.
27:09I am the true-blood daughter
27:10of Duke Valamont,
27:12and once I married
27:13into the castle
27:14and took charge
27:14of the internal affairs,
27:16their facade
27:16would eventually
27:17be pierced by me.
27:21To prevent me
27:21from rightfully taking power,
27:23they contrived this venomous scheme
27:24to humiliate me.
27:25Firstly,
27:26they aimed to suppress me
27:27with the status
27:27of a secondary consate,
27:29forcing me to back down.
27:30Even if I married in,
27:31I'd be the laughingstock
27:32of the aristocracy,
27:33too lowly to ever threaten
27:34their rule.
27:35Did they think
27:36that I, Celestie,
27:37am some helpless thing
27:38to be trampled upon
27:38at will?
27:39Ridiculous!
27:40They had played
27:41every card they held,
27:42but miscalculated
27:43my temper
27:44and miscalculated
27:45the majesty
27:46of His Majesty the King
27:47and Church dogma.
27:48I entered the palace
27:49overnight to see
27:50the Queen,
27:51not only tearing apart
27:52their humiliating trick,
27:53but also utilizing
27:54the warrant
27:55to tear Lucien down
27:56in one false wage.
27:57Stripping him
27:58of his title as heir,
27:59these words completely
28:00shattered Mira's
28:01psychological defenses.
28:02It was him!
28:03Lucien forced me
28:04to do it all!
28:04I only loved him!
28:06I just wanted to escape
28:07the lowly life
28:08of a base-born daughter
28:09living like a rat!
28:12Lucien bellowed fiercely,
28:13Shut up!
28:14What nonsense
28:14are you spouting?
28:15Me?
28:16Spouting nonsense?
28:17Things have come to this
28:18and you still want
28:19to keep hiding it?
28:20Her words completely
28:21tore away the final
28:22pretend between them,
28:24verifying everything
28:25I had said.
28:26Lucien was exasperated,
28:28yet he could find
28:28no words to defend himself.
28:30Just then,
28:31the steward's announcement
28:32echoed from outside
28:33the corridor.
28:34The Chancellor of the Kingdom
28:36and the Chancellor's Lady
28:37arrive.
28:38Before the words faded,
28:39a middle-aged couple
28:39in luxurious formal attire
28:41walked quickly into the suite.
28:42They were Elevon's parents,
28:43Chancellor Osrak
28:44and his lady.
28:44Having rushed over,
28:45they looked at the formation
28:46of people in the room
28:47and then at Meera
28:48who was wailing on the bed,
28:49their faces full of
28:49bewilderment and shock.
28:50What exactly is going on here?
28:53I looked at the Chancellor
28:54and his lady,
28:55my tone calm.
28:56Lord Chancellor,
28:56my lady,
28:57you arrive at the perfect time.
28:59Today's matter concerns
29:00the life and death
29:01of the noble
29:02true-blood daughter Elowen.
29:03I implore you both
29:04to identify two things.
29:07With that,
29:08I took the parchment rule
29:08from the Shadow Warden
29:09and presented it to the Chancellor.
29:11This is a formal complaint
29:12written blood
29:12by the real Elwyn's own hand.
29:14She has been imprisoned
29:15by Lucien and Meera
29:16for two years,
29:17enduring endless torment.
29:18Elwon has been confined
29:19in the Abbey's damp cellar
29:21for two years.
29:22She endures endless cold,
29:24hunger,
29:24and brutal torture
29:25day after day.
29:27Her body is so incredibly frail
29:29that she could not withstand
29:30the jolts of a long carriage ride,
29:32and thus she was unable
29:33to return to the Royal Capital
29:35with the Shadow Wardens.
29:36But she had already written
29:37this complaint,
29:38detailing the entire process
29:40of how she was swapped
29:41and imprisoned two years ago.
29:43Elowen studied under
29:43a royal scribe
29:44since childhood.
29:45I beseech the Lord Chancellor
29:46to verify.
29:47Is this your beloved daughter,
29:49Sunwright?
29:49The Chancellor hurriedly
29:50took the parchment
29:51and unrolled it
29:52for a closer look.
29:53His fingertips trembled slightly,
29:55and his face grew darker
29:56the more he read.
29:57Yes,
29:58this is absolutely
29:59Elowen's handwriting.
30:00The magical circuit habits
30:02in her strokes
30:02are utterly unique.
30:03There is no mistake.
30:05The Chancellor's Lady
30:07stood beside him
30:08and took the scroll
30:08from his hands.
30:09As soon as her eyes
30:10fell on the writing,
30:11tears filled her eyes.
30:13It is Elowen,
30:14my dear daughter.
30:16I gestured to the Shadow Warden
30:17again to open
30:18the purple sandaludum
30:19brusage box in his hand.
30:20Inside lay an ancient
30:21blood-sealed teslam pendant.
30:23This blood-sealed pendant
30:24was personally commissioned
30:25by you, my lady,
30:26from a mage in for Elowen
30:27on her name-binding day.
30:28It is bound by bloodline
30:29and has never left her side.
30:31The Chancellor's Lady
30:31accepted the pendant
30:32with trembling hands,
30:33stroping the runic patterns
30:35on it as tears
30:35cascaded down.
30:37It is...
30:38It is Elowen's ward!
30:39That's right,
30:40the scar on Elowen's
30:40left eyebrow
30:41was accidentally me.
30:42It is absolutely real.
30:43My daughter,
30:43how much suffering
30:44have you endured
30:45these past two years?
30:46The evidence was conclusive.
30:47An irrefutable mountain
30:48of iron-clad proof.
30:49What a pair of heartless
30:50wolf-brutes!
30:51How dare you brutally
30:52harm my true-blood daughter
30:53like this,
30:54deceive the heavens,
30:54and usurp the legal order!
30:56I will absolutely present
30:56this to His Majesty,
30:58the King,
30:58and send the two of you
30:59to the Royal Tribunal
31:00for Heresy!
31:02With the truth revealed,
31:03every lord in the room
31:04was furious,
31:05furiously cursing
31:06Lucian and Mira's
31:07venomous deeds,
31:08Lucian completely powerless
31:10to argue further.
31:11He staggered backward
31:12a few steps
31:12and fell heavily
31:13to the ground,
31:14his eyes vacant
31:15thoroughly stripped
31:15of his past
31:16hypocritical arrogance.
31:17The chief eldery
31:18of the House Council,
31:19leaning on his cane,
31:21had a beard
31:21trembling with rage
31:22as he sighed
31:23continuously.
31:24Absurd!
31:25This is a terrible scandal
31:27for our kingdom!
31:28It's disappointing
31:29that someone from
31:29House Thornfield
31:30acted disloyally
31:31and hurt the family's
31:32reputation.
31:33He has made serious mistakes.
31:35He looked at Garak
31:36and said in a deep voice,
31:38My lord,
31:38although the evidence
31:39of guilty is conclusive,
31:40the Margon and his lady
31:41are far away
31:42and have not yet returned.
31:43According to the law,
31:44being erased from the tappery
31:46requires the Margon's approval.
31:48We should wait for the Margon's
31:49return before dealing with him.
31:51Before Garak could speak,
31:53a majestic, furious shout
31:54suddenly echoed
31:55from the corridor outside,
31:56carrying monstrous wreath.
31:57The crowd turned to the sound,
31:59only to see Margic Aldrick
32:00and his lady,
32:01clothed in travel-worn
32:02hunting attire,
32:03striding briskly
32:03into the room.
32:04Cornhill has no such
32:05treacherous son.
32:06Why bother?
32:07They had been patrolling
32:08the borders when they received
32:09a message from a magical raven
32:10detailing how Lucien
32:11humiliated me
32:12with a rose-colored
32:13bridal gown.
32:14They rushed back
32:14in a frantic hurry,
32:15never imagining it would
32:16also involve
32:17a world-shattering scandal
32:18of the eldest daughter-in-law
32:19being swapped
32:20and a true-blood daughter
32:21being imprisoned.
32:22The Margon's gaze
32:23was like a blade,
32:24fixed dead upon Lucien
32:25on the ground.
32:26You vile spawn!
32:28We have been loyal
32:29to the Holy Crown
32:30and the Divines
32:31for generations.
32:32How could we birth
32:33a heartless,
32:34treasonous creature
32:34like you?
32:35The Margort's lady
32:36was already weeping profusely,
32:38looking at Mira on the bed
32:39and thinking of the real
32:40Elowen imprisoned
32:41for two years,
32:42her heart twisted in agony.
32:43You have not only
32:44destroyed yourself
32:45but also thrown away
32:46all the honor
32:47of our house.
32:48You have disgraced
32:49our ancestors.
32:50Seeing the Margic
32:51and his lady return,
32:52the chief elder
32:52immediately placed
32:53a hand over his chest.
32:54Lord Margic,
32:55no need for words.
32:57The Marculetti interrupted,
32:58his tone...
32:58Lucien's actions
32:59incur the ralk of heaven
33:00and the resent of men.
33:01He is unworthy
33:02of the family blood
33:03flowing in his veins.
33:03Immediately have his name
33:04burned and violated
33:05the laws and church documa.
33:06Hand them over
33:07to the royal tribunal.
33:09Yes, my lord!
33:11Heavily armed knights
33:13of the north
33:13stepped forward in response,
33:15ready to escort Lucien away.
33:17No!
33:17I do not accept this!
33:19Lucien,
33:20who had been slumped
33:21on the ground,
33:21suddenly erupted
33:22with a roar
33:23and struggled violently
33:24to his feet.
33:24He stared fiercely
33:25at the Margar and his lady,
33:27his eyes filled with years
33:28of suppressed resent
33:29and indignation.
33:30Each word wrinked
33:31from him like blood
33:32as he screamed out
33:33his grievances
33:33in mad despair.
33:34Why?
33:35Why is it that
33:36since childhood
33:37you have always favored
33:38the eldest son?
33:39The position of heir
33:40was his,
33:41the true blood daughter
33:41was his too.
33:43I am also of your bloodline,
33:45yet I was always
33:46an expendable shadow.
33:48It's all your fault!
33:52Celestine,
33:52if it wasn't you,
33:53my inheritance
33:54wouldn't be lost
33:55and my plans
33:56wouldn't be destroyed.
33:57You ruined everything
33:58of mine
33:59and I will not let you up!
34:01He then looked
34:02at the stern-faced
34:03Garak beside me.
34:04His hatred intensifying.
34:05And you, Garak,
34:06why do you get
34:07to pick up my title
34:07and marry Saland?
34:08You are nothing but a brute
34:09who only knows
34:10how to swing a sword
34:11out in the frozen west.
34:12By what right
34:13do you trample over me?
34:14You just wait!
34:15Even if I die,
34:15I will absolutely
34:16not let you off!
34:17Finally,
34:17he looked at the Margar
34:18and his lady,
34:19uttering a shyle,
34:20tragic curse.
34:21And you too,
34:21if I ever have the chance
34:22in the future,
34:23I will make House Thorn
34:24and pay the price
34:24for I Lucia swear
34:25to Gazamegas not ever!
34:26You had better send me
34:27to the guillotine right now
34:27for live for a single day.
34:28I was long make Celestia,
34:29Garak and the entire
34:30Marcus Castle
34:31pay in blood!
34:32This deranged,
34:33roaring Tillade
34:33left every lord present
34:34deeply shaken.
34:35The knights hesitated
34:36no longer.
34:37They stepped forward,
34:37pinning the struggling
34:38Lucian down tightly.
34:39Lucian fought madly
34:40all the way,
34:40his curses and resentful
34:41cries ringing endlessly
34:42until he was dragged
34:43out of the corridor.
34:43Only then did his voice
34:44gradually fade,
34:45yet it still carried
34:46a bone-piercing chill.
34:48Meera was also
34:49escorted away.
34:50Her face was assin,
34:51having long lost
34:51the strength to struggle.
34:52Like a walking corpse,
34:54she was dragged away
34:54by the knights.
34:55The storm momentarily
34:56subsided,
34:57the Chancellor's leg lady
34:58already crying
34:59like a bade Myrna
35:00thanked me repeatedly.
35:01Thank you, my lady.
35:02Thank you for seeking
35:03justice for my daughter.
35:04Had it not been for you,
35:05we would still be
35:06kept in the duck.
35:07My poor Elevin,
35:09suffering two years
35:10of inhuman torture.
35:12I gently consoled her.
35:14My lady,
35:15you need be so formal.
35:17The gods above
35:17will punish the wicked
35:18in the end.
35:19This is the fate
35:20they deserve.
35:21Says the truth
35:21is revealed,
35:22I will meadly
35:22pertite his majesty
35:23to depatch paladins
35:24to the southern borders
35:25to bring through
35:25the Trenblood daughter.
35:27Chancellor Osric
35:27nodded continually,
35:29saying with gratitude.
35:30Thank you, my lady.
35:31I will immediately
35:32arrange for mages
35:34to accompany them,
35:35heading to the hidden abbey
35:36in the southern borders
35:37together to bring
35:38Elliman back
35:39to the royal capital.
35:41The Marguard
35:42looked at the mess
35:42on the ground,
35:43his heart filled
35:44with exhaustion.
35:45He spoke to Garrick
35:46in a heavy voice.
35:46This affair shall be
35:47referred to the royal
35:48Trudnel for a rigorous
35:49legal trial to uphold justice.
35:51As head of the house,
35:52you must speak
35:52and act prudently
35:53to stabilize the domain.
35:54Yes, father.
35:55I gazed in the direction
35:56Lucio was dragged away,
35:57a trace of coldness
35:58flashing in my eyes.
35:59I didn't take
35:59his vicious words to heart,
36:01yet I also knew deeply
36:02that a man as deranged
36:03and revengeful as Lucio
36:04would absolutely not
36:05let things go so easily.
36:06A far greater storm
36:07was likely only just beginning.
36:08The dungeons
36:09of the royal tribunal
36:10were dark and damp.
36:11Lucian was locked
36:11in methian shackles.
36:13The former lord hair
36:13draped in silks
36:14and fine jewels,
36:15noble and ostentatious,
36:16now wore tattered rags,
36:17his face covered bloodshot
36:18burning with inusquist
36:19resentment and mads are...
36:20Celeste and Garrick,
36:22you just wait.
36:25Three days later,
36:26the royal tribunal
36:27announced the trial's verdict
36:27for the crimes of
36:28privately imprisoning
36:29a true blood daughter
36:29of the kingdom,
36:30impersonating a consecrated widow
36:31to frame the church
36:32and defying royal authority.
36:33Lucian was stripped
36:34of all noble protections
36:35in the primary judgment,
36:36exiled to the Frostmarches
36:37and forbidden from
36:38returning to the royal capital
36:39for eternity.
36:40Meera was convicted
36:40of the same crimes.
36:41The moment the verdict fell,
36:42Lucian froze in place.
36:44There was no relief in his eyes,
36:45only monstrous indignation
36:46and malice.
36:47Exiled to the Frostmarches,
36:48how is this any different
36:49from death?
36:50He was once the Marjurk's heir
36:51to end up in such a state
36:52and worse,
36:53to be trampled underfoot
36:53by Garrick and Celestia.
36:55He was absolutely
36:55unresigned to this.
36:56Before being escorted
36:57to the place of exile,
36:58Lucian was temporarily held
36:59in the fortress dungeons
37:00outside the royal capital.
37:01In the dark and damp cell,
37:03he curled up in his digging
37:03fiercely into the stone wall,
37:05his eyes full of crazed hatred.
37:06He could not just leave like this.
37:07He wanted revenge.
37:08He was certain
37:09he would not let it end like this.
37:12He wanted to ruin
37:13Celestine's reputation
37:13and make her life worse than death.
37:15He wanted Garrick
37:16to lose everything
37:16and be beheaded.
37:17He wanted his biased parents
37:18to live in lifelong regret
37:19and for the entire house Thornfield
37:20to pay the most agonizing price
37:21for what they did to him.
37:22Lucian slowly closed his eyes,
37:24forcing himself to calm down
37:25and sorting through
37:25the remaining contacts
37:26and leverage in his mind.
37:27Having held power for two years,
37:28he had secretly won over
37:29quite a few old retainers
37:30in the tarry
37:31and had also made the acquaintance
37:32of some dark guild factions
37:33and fallen mages
37:34on the fringes of officialese.
37:35Most of these people
37:36had received to him by interests.
37:37Though he had lost power now,
37:38as long as he had enough gold
37:39and promises,
37:40they might not be
37:41entirely useless to him.
37:42Furthermore,
37:43he knew quite a few secrets
37:44about Garrick's northern army
37:45and was well aware of the defenses
37:46around the family's treasury.
37:47These were all weapons for his...
37:48Using the opportunity
37:49to secretly contact
37:50his old subordinates,
37:51Lucian quietly sent messages
37:52via Raven.
37:52Every word was vicious,
37:53orchestrating a meticulous
37:54revenge plot.
37:56He wanted to destroy
37:57Garrick's military merits.
37:59Ruin silenced his reputation
38:00and plunged the royal capital
38:01into chaos.
38:02Even if it meant
38:03mutual destruction,
38:03he would never give up.
38:05Lucian's first step
38:06was to employ his old trick again,
38:07using rumors as a sharp blade.
38:09He took out gemstones
38:10he had hidden away
38:10in earlier years
38:11to hire street thugs,
38:12destitute bards,
38:13and scribes,
38:14along with several
38:15disgruntled tax officials
38:16to begin spreading
38:17a new wave of vicious rumors.
38:18This time,
38:19the targets were pointed
38:20directly at Garrick and Celeste.
38:22In just a few days,
38:23the rumors spread
38:24like poisonous vines
38:24through the streets
38:25and alleys of the royal capital.
38:26Have you heard?
38:27Warden General's
38:28Garrus Miller excites
38:28are all fake.
38:29The great victory
38:30against the magical beasts
38:30back then was entirely due
38:31to the desperate fighting
38:32of his knights,
38:33but in truth,
38:33he is as cowardly as a mouse.
38:34It doesn't stop there.
38:35The newly succeeding
38:36Lady Celestine is no saint either.
38:38To seize control of the castle,
38:39she stopped at nothing
38:40to frame Lucian.
38:40She is a ruthless witch
38:41corrupted by dark magic.
38:43The two collude,
38:44deceiving the king
38:44into seizing the Margonks' castle.
38:45Garrick married Celestine
38:46only for the power
38:47of the Valamont Ducre estate.
38:48The two are thick as thieves.
38:49They will come to no good end.
38:51The rumors were even more
38:52vicious than before.
38:53Not only slanding character,
38:55but even daring
38:55to defache military gourds
38:57and frame us for treason.
38:59Many ignorant commoners
39:01believed it to be true,
39:02pointing fingers
39:03at Garrick and Mai.
39:04Even within the High Council,
39:05several lower lords
39:06bought off by Lucia
39:07took the opportunity
39:07to speak up,
39:08subtly impeaching Garrick
39:09for false merits
39:10and me for improper conduct.
39:12Inside the Markyer's castle,
39:13the atmosphere was heavy.
39:14The Markyer's lady
39:15looked at the rumors
39:16reported by the head maid,
39:18fraught with worry.
39:19These rumors
39:19are far too malicious.
39:21If they reach
39:21His Majesty the King's ears,
39:23I fear it will cause trouble.
39:25Garrick's face was stern,
39:26his fingers grepping
39:27his sword hilt tightly,
39:28eyes filled with wrath.
39:30He is must willing
39:31to accept exile
39:32and wishes to stir up chaos
39:33with rumors
39:34to seize a chance for revenge.
39:37I sat upright to the side,
39:39my expression calm,
39:40having long anticipated
39:41that Lucian
39:42would not give up so easily.
39:44Paranoid and deranged,
39:45he couldn't accept
39:46the outcome of exile
39:47and was bound
39:48to take desperate measures.
39:49His methods,
39:50the same tired tricks as ever.
39:51Though the rumors are fierce,
39:53they lack evidence
39:53and will collapse
39:54at the first blow.
39:55My dear,
39:55you may dispatch knights
39:56to secretly track
39:57the source of these rumors,
39:58capture those spreading
39:59them one by one,
40:00follow the vine
40:00to get the melon,
40:01root out Lucian's contacts,
40:02and obtain magical
40:03projection evidence.
40:04Garrick nodded,
40:05I have already sent spies
40:07to work on this.
40:08Within three days,
40:09we will certainly
40:10uncover the source.
40:11Sure enough,
40:12two days later,
40:13Garrick's men captured
40:14dozens of barbs
40:15and scribes
40:15spreading the rumors.
40:16Under the truth exeter,
40:17they all confessed
40:18that Lucian's old followers
40:19had provided the gold coins
40:20and orders.
40:21They even confiscated
40:22paper and smeat letters
40:23written by Lucian's own hand hand.
40:24The handwriting was clear,
40:25the evidence undeniable.
40:28Garrick presented the dosses
40:29and evidence
40:30to his majesty the king.
40:31The king was infuriated
40:32to thoroughly investigate
40:33the involved officials,
40:34stripping them of all titles
40:35for prosecution.
40:36The rumors collapsed
40:36on their own,
40:37and the citizens of the royal capital
40:39saw the truth.
40:39And then it leaves
40:40rather than being damaged,
40:41Garrick's and my reputations
40:42gained even more public support.
40:44Upon learning of the rumor
40:45splot's failure,
40:46Lucian was not disheartened,
40:48but became even more deranged.
40:49He knew that since
40:50soft tactics had failed,
40:52he had to use hard force.
40:53Lucian's second step
40:54was to hire assassins
40:55for an interception
40:56and assassination.
40:57He contacted the underground
40:58assassin organization
40:59he had befriended
41:00in his early years,
41:01the Nightblade Guild.
41:02Using his entire fortune
41:04as the price
41:05and promising heavy
41:06additional gold upon success,
41:08he sought only to intercept
41:09and kill Garrick and Celeste's
41:10dream during his exile journey.
41:12He calculated perfectly
41:13that the exile convoy
41:14would leave the royal capital
41:16in three days
41:16and that Garrick
41:17would definitely escort him personally,
41:19first to uphold the law
41:20and second to guard
41:21against any tricks.
41:22And I would very likely
41:23accompany him to send him off,
41:25making this the perfect opportunity
41:26for assassination.
41:28Upon receiving the heavy gold,
41:30the Nightlight Guild
41:31rapidly assembled
41:32dozens of elite assassins
41:33and ambushed them
41:34at Shadow Gorge,
41:35a necessary passage
41:36out of the city.
41:36The terrain here
41:37was treacherous
41:38with steep cliffs
41:38on both sides
41:39and a narrow valley floor,
41:40easy to defend
41:41and hard to attack,
41:42an excellent location
41:43for an ambush.
41:44Three days later,
41:45the exile convoy
41:46set out as scheduled.
41:47Clad in chainmail,
41:48Garrick led the vanguard knights
41:49of the north
41:49to escort Lucian.
41:50I rode in an armored carriage
41:52alongside them,
41:53heavily guarded
41:53from front to back.
41:54As we reached Shadow Gorge,
41:55the surroundings
41:56fell abruptly silent
41:57and an era of slaughter
41:58filled the air.
41:59Careful!
42:00It's an ambush!
42:00Garrick shouted fiercely.
42:02The knights instantly
42:03drew their two-handed swords,
42:04guarding the perimeter
42:05of the carriage.
42:06Before his voice had faded,
42:08dozens of assassins
42:09clawed in black leather armor
42:10leaped down
42:11from the cliffs
42:11on either side,
42:12wielding poison-quenched blades
42:13and exuding murderous intent.
42:15They surged down
42:16upon the exile convoy
42:17with killing in pate.
42:18Their target was clear,
42:19aimed straight at Garrick and me.
42:20The assassins let out
42:21a strill hour.
42:22Their moves were ruthless,
42:24every strike lethal,
42:24all fighting
42:25with a suicidal disregard
42:26for their own lives.
42:28Knights and assassins
42:29instantly clashed in slaughter.
42:31Blades flashed
42:32and blood splattered.
42:33Within the narrow slopes
42:34of the gorge,
42:35the sounds of bursting spells,
42:36clashing weapons,
42:37and agonized screams
42:38intertwined in a soul-sturning
42:39conophony.
42:40Garrick's movements
42:41were agile,
42:42wielding a runic greatsword
42:43so swiftly that neither wind
42:44nor rain could pass through.
42:46He slayed several
42:47high-tier assassins,
42:48but the enemy was numerous,
42:49and every one of them
42:50feared not death,
42:51making it difficult
42:52to break free for the moment.
42:53I sat in the carriage
42:54with a calm expression,
42:56having long anticipated
42:56that a cornered dog
42:57like Lucien
42:58would leap over the wall.
42:59I secretly sent out
43:00a magical signal,
43:01indicating to the
43:02accompanying shadow wardens
43:03that there was no need
43:04to hidden,
43:04and to strike with full force.
43:06Dozens of shadow wardens
43:07hidden in the dark
43:08emerged in response
43:09joining the flay.
43:10The shadow wardens
43:11were all elites
43:11who had undergone
43:12cruel training.
43:13Coordinating flawlessly,
43:14they instantly turned
43:14the tide of the battle.
43:16Though the assassins
43:16were fierce,
43:17they were no match
43:17for battle-heart knights
43:18and the shadow wardens
43:19of the ducal estate,
43:20suffering heavy casualties.
43:21After half an hour
43:22lack of time,
43:23the slaughter ended.
43:24Dozens of assassins
43:24had been slain,
43:25leave only two
43:26severely wounded captives.
43:27Meanwhile,
43:27Lucien,
43:28who had been in
43:28the prisoner carriage,
43:29had long since
43:30cast an escape role
43:30amid the chaos.
43:32Looking back
43:33at the aftermath
43:34in Shadow Gorch,
43:34Lucien knew his momentum
43:35was gone,
43:36yet he still refused
43:37to give up.
43:37He had never expected
43:38that his meticulously
43:39planned assassination
43:39would be so fragile.
43:41During his flight,
43:41Lucien launched
43:42his final counter-attack
43:43and remnants of the cult
43:44of dark sorcery
43:44to incite rebellion
43:45and treason.
43:46Lucien contacted
43:47several of his old
43:48subordiments,
43:48who had been stripped
43:49of their military parrots
43:50along with the leaders
43:51of the bandit groups.
43:52Upon receiving
43:53Lucien's promises
43:54of territory and wealth,
43:55they immediately decided
43:56to raise their arms
43:57in rebellion.
43:59They began gathering
44:00in provinces
44:00with weak border defenses,
44:02capturing towns
44:03using this to threaten
44:04the royal court.
44:05They demanded
44:05the punishment of Garak
44:06and the revaction
44:07of his heir status.
44:08Otherwise,
44:08they would summon
44:09dark magic
44:10to wreak havoc
44:10on the borders.
44:11Lucien's calculations
44:12were extremely strew.
44:13Zabellion started
44:14the royal court
44:14would surely grow oppensive.
44:16They would either compromise
44:17or he could profit
44:17from the situation
44:18and this to come back.
44:19The border rebellion
44:20erupted suddenly.
44:21Magical beacon fires
44:22swiftly transmitted
44:23the news back
44:23to the royal capital,
44:24shocking the entire
44:25court and kingdom.
44:27The king was furious
44:28and summoned
44:29the high lords
44:30to council.
44:31Garak volunteered,
44:32leading the main
44:33vanguard knights
44:34of the north
44:34to the borders
44:35to suppress the rebellion.
44:37I knew deeply
44:37that this was
44:38Lucien's final madness.
44:39He was certainly
44:40hiding within
44:40the rebel camp,
44:41waiting for his moment
44:42to strike.
44:42I instructed Garak
44:43to be extremely careful
44:44and subsequently
44:45depotched shadow warders
44:46in secret to infiltrate
44:47the rebel camp
44:48and investigate
44:48Lucien's whereabouts.
44:49The army arrived
44:50at the border
44:51and swiftly engaged
44:52the rebels.
44:53Though the rebels
44:53were numerous,
44:54they were nothing
44:54but a disorganized mob.
44:56Under the charge
44:57of orthodox heavy knights,
44:58they collapsed
44:58at the first blow
44:59and were quickly
45:00beaten back.
45:01Retreating in defeat
45:02again and again,
45:03the shadow wardens
45:03infiltrated the main
45:04rebel tent
45:05and quickly found
45:06Lucien hiding inside.
45:07At that moment,
45:08Lucien was directing
45:09the remnants
45:09to put up a stubborn
45:10resistance,
45:11his eyes full of
45:12the desperate madness
45:12of a final gamble.
45:14The shadow wardens
45:14remained unmoving
45:15and unobserved,
45:16secretly gathering
45:17all the letters
45:17and contracts
45:18detailing Lucien's
45:19collusion with the
45:19cult of dark sorcery,
45:20his orchestration
45:21of the riot.
45:22Then, coordinating
45:23from within and without,
45:24they aided the night order
45:25in breaching
45:25the defensive barrier.
45:26The camp was broken
45:27and Lucien was
45:28captured on the spot.
45:30Looking at Garak
45:31mounted on his war horse,
45:32he fell into
45:33absolute despair,
45:35screaming like a madman.
45:36I will not accept this!
45:38I clearly could have
45:39taken back the castle!
45:40You are the ones
45:40who destroyed me!
45:41Garak's face was ice cold
45:43as he took out the evidence
45:44collected by the shadow warders.
45:46Colluding with dark guilds,
45:47orchestrating assassinations,
45:48conspite with bandits
45:48and treason and rebellion,
45:49every single one
45:50is a capital offense
45:51punishable by the stake.
45:52With both witnesses
45:52and physical evidence present,
45:54Sudian could no longer
45:55offer any defense,
45:56leaving only
45:56deathly silence to spare.
45:58The royal tribunal
45:59convened once more.
46:00Lucien's crimes were listed
46:01one by one by the Arpiship.
46:02Privately imprisoning
46:03a true blood daughter,
46:04fabricating sacred miracles,
46:05spreading rumors,
46:06hiring assassins,
46:07colluding with heretics.
46:08Every single charge
46:09was an unpardonable felony,
46:10with multiple crimes
46:11punished concurrently,
46:11his sins were unforgivable.
46:14The previous sentence
46:15of exile
46:16was completely overturned.
46:17The king signed
46:17the final death warrant.
46:18Lucien, guilty of heinous crimes,
46:20was sentenced to execution
46:21at the king's gate.
46:22He would be publicly beheaded
46:23in three days
46:24as a warning to all.
46:25On the day of the execution,
46:27the royal capital square
46:28was an ocean of people.
46:29Citizens scrambled to watch,
46:31all spitting curses
46:32at Lucien
46:32for his hypocritical wickedness,
46:34agreeing he deserved his fate.
46:35Lucien was escorted up
46:36to the execution block,
46:37his hair disheveled,
46:38his former nobility
46:39and ostentatience
46:40were completely gone.
46:41He looked at the surrounding Sibbins,
46:43then at Garrick and I
46:44in the hide-warring box.
46:45A trace of indignation
46:46flashed in his eyes,
46:48eventually fading
46:48into deathly silence.
46:50The mid-dose sun
46:50was blindingly bright.
46:51The giant axe
46:52in the headsman's hands fell.
46:53With a flash of cold steel,
46:55Lucien was decapitated,
46:56ending his madly paranoid,
46:57hypocritically degenerate life.
46:58Blood dyed the stone slads red,
47:00and every common mirror watching
47:01clapped and cheered.
47:02He who blasphemed the divine
47:03and the law
47:03could not escape
47:04the vast net of justice,
47:05reaping what he sowed.
47:08After Lucien's death,
47:09his remaining accomplices
47:10were purged one by one
47:11by the paladins.
47:12The border rebellion
47:13was pacified,
47:14and the royal capital
47:14returned to its former stability.
47:16The storm was thoroughly settled.
47:18The royal capital
47:18returned to its former peace,
47:20and the thorn-wheeled
47:20Marjoscick's castle
47:21yet regained its tranquility.
47:23Having gone through this ordeal,
47:24the Marjok and his lady
47:25were physically
47:26and mentally exhausted.
47:27No longer having the heart
47:28to manage the territory's affairs,
47:30they handed over
47:30keeping the seals
47:31and all defenses
47:32entirely to Garrick,
47:33retiring peacefully
47:34to the south-wing tower
47:35to recuperate,
47:35no longer involving themselves
47:37in worldly matters.
47:38The real Elowen,
47:39having survived this calamity,
47:40became disheartened
47:41and saw through
47:41the vanity of the world.
47:43She declined
47:43the Chancellor's House's pleas
47:44to stay
47:45and refused to remain
47:46in the royal capital.
47:47Ultimately,
47:47she chose to withdraw
47:48to Moon Abbey,
47:49spending her remaining years
47:50in closeded prayer
47:51amid candlelight
47:52and sacred codonks.
47:54As for Garrick and me,
47:56after enduring
47:56this life-and-death trial,
47:57the bond between us
47:58grew ever deeper
47:59and indestructible.
48:00Following our grand wedding,
48:02Garrick treated me
48:02with gentle consideration
48:03and utmost respect.
48:04He consulted me
48:05on all matters of the domain
48:06and never once imposed
48:07his will by virtue
48:08of husbandly authority.
48:09I, too,
48:10devoted my heart
48:11to keeping the seals
48:11and the castle's
48:12internal affairs,
48:13showing filial pie
48:14to the Margarch
48:15and his lady,
48:15and treating the knights
48:16and servants well,
48:17managing the Margarch tree
48:18flawlessly.
48:19Months later,
48:20I smoothly gave birth
48:21to a baby boy.
48:22Healthy, strong,
48:23and incredibly adorable.
48:24The storms
48:25and conspiracies
48:26of the past
48:26had long since dissipated
48:28like morning mist.
48:29Those mad calculations
48:30and hatreds
48:31ultimately could not stand
48:32against order and justice,
48:33nor the warmth
48:34of walking hand in hand.
48:35For the rest of our lives,
48:37as the clouds rolled
48:38and the years passed peacefully,
48:39Garrick and I stood
48:40shoulder to shoulder
48:41atop the northern walls,
48:42with children at our knees,
48:44year after year,
48:45blessed by the holy light.
48:46We remain together
48:47for a lifetime,
48:48faithful to one another,
48:49through all the years to come.
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